NEAT OR HORNED CATTLE.
The value of our neat cattle exceeds that of any other of the domestic
animals in the United States. They are as widely disseminated, and more
generally useful. Like sheep and all our domestic brutes, they have been
so long and so entirely subject to the control of man, that their
original type is unknown. They have been allowed entire freedom from all
human direction or restraint for hundreds of years, on the boundless
pampas of South America, California, and elsewhere; but when permitted
to resume that natural condition, by which both plants and animals
approximate to the character of their original head, they have scarcely
deviated in any respect, from the domestic herds from which they are
descended. From this it may be inferred, that our present races do not
differ, in any of their essential features and characteristics, from the
original stock.
Various Domestic Breeds.
Cultivation, feed, and climate, have much to do in determining the form,
size, and character of cattle. In Lithuania, cattle attain an immense
size, with but moderate pretensions to general excellence, while the
Irish Kerry and Scotch Grampian cows but little exceed the largest
sheep; yet the last are compact and well-made, and yield a good return
for the food consumed. Every country, and almost every district, has its
peculiar breeds, which by long association have become adapted to the
food and circumstances of its position, and when found profitable, they
should be exchanged for others, only after the most thorough trial of
superior fitness for the particular location, in those proposed to be
introduced.
More attention has been paid to the improvement of the various breeds of
cattle in England, than in any other country; and it is there they have
attained the greatest perfection in form and character for the various
purposes to which they are devoted. We have derived, directly from Great
Britain, not only the parent stock from which nearly all our cattle are
descended, but also most of those fresh importations, to which we have
looked for improvement on the present race of animals.
A few choice Dutch cattle, generally black and white, and of large size,
good forms, and good milkers, with a decided tendency to fatten, have
been occasionally introduced among us, but not in numbers sufficient to
keep up a distinct breed; and in the hands of their importers, or
immediate successors, their peculiar characteristics have soon become
merged in those herds by which they were surrounded. Some few French and
Spanish cattle, the descendants of those remote importations, made when
the colonies of those kingdoms held possession of our northern, western,
and southern frontiers, still exist in those sections; and although
possessing no claims to particular superiority, at least in any that
have come within our notice, yet they are so well acclimated, and
adapted to their various localities, as to render it inexpedient to
attempt supplanting them, except with such as are particularly
meritorious.
Native Cattle.
This is a favorite term with Americans, and comprehends every thing in
the country, excepting such as are of a pure and distinct breed. It
embraces some of the best, some of the worst, and some of almost every
variety, shape, color, and character of the bovine race. The designation
has no farther meaning, than that they are indigenous to the soil, and
do not belong to any well-defined or distinct variety.
The best native cattle of the Union are undoubtedly to be found in the
Northeastern states. Most of the early emigrant cattle in that section
were from the southern part of England, where the Devon cattle abound;
and though not at the present time bearing a close resemblance to that
breed, unless it has been impressed upon them by more recent
importations, yet a large number have that general approximation in
character, features, and color, which entitles them to claim a near
kindred with one of the choicest cultivated breeds. They have the same
symmetry, but not in general the excessive delicacy of form, which
characterizes the Devons; the same intelligence, activity, and vigor in
the working cattle, and the same tendency to fattening; but they are
usually better for the dairy than their imported ancestors. Some
valuable intermixtures have occasionally been made among them. Among
these, there have been many brindled cattle widely disseminated, of
great merit as workers, and not often surpassed for the dairy and
shambles.
The Herefords have in a few instances been introduced among the eastern
cattle, and apparently with great improvement. The importation made by
Admiral Coffin, of four choice Hereford bulls and cows, which were
presented to the State Agricultural Society of Massachusetts, nearly
thirty years since, is especially to be mentioned, as resulting in
decided benefit wherever they were disseminated. Some of the old
Yorkshire, or as they are sometimes styled, the long-horned Durhams,
have been introduced, though these have been isolated individuals and
never perpetuated as a separate breed. A few small importations have
been made of the Short Horns and Ayrshires, but neither of these have
been bred in the New England states in distinct herds, to any extent.
Their _native breed_ has hitherto, and generally with good reason,
possessed claims on the attention of their owners, which, with some
slight exceptions, it has not been in the power of any rivals to
supplant. With entire adaptedness to the soil, climate, and wants of the
farmer, an originally good stock has, in frequent instances, been
carefully fostered, and the breeding animals selected with a strict
reference to their fitness for perpetuating the most desirable
qualities. As a consequence of this intelligent and persevering policy,
widely, but not universally pursued, they have a race of cattle, though
possessing considerable diversity of size and color, yet coinciding in a
remarkable degree in the possession of those utilitarian features, which
so justly commend them to our admiration.
In proceeding southwestwardly through New York, New Jersey, and
elsewhere, we shall find in this branch of stock, a greater diversity
and less uniform excellence; though they have extensive numbers of
valuable animals. Here and there will be found a choice collection of
some favorite foreign breed, which emigrants have brought from their
native home, as did the Pagan colonists their penates or household gods;
the cherished associates of early days, and the only relics of their
father-land. Such are an occasional small herd of polled or hornless
cattle, originally derived from Suffolk or Galloway, excellent both for
the dairy and shambles; the Kyloe, or West Highland, (Scottish,) a hardy
animal, unrivalled for beef; the Welsh runt; the Irish cattle; the
crumpled-horn Alderney, and some others.
The Devon
Is among the oldest distinctly cultivated breeds in this country, as it
undoubtedly is of England, and probably it is the most universal
favorite. This popularity is well deserved, and it is based upon several
substantial considerations. They are beautifully formed, possessing
excessive fineness and symmetry of frame, yet with sufficient bone and
muscle to render them perfectly hardy; and they are among the most
vigorous and active of working cattle. They have great uniformity of
appearance in every feature, size, shape, horns, and color. The cows and
bulls appear small, but the ox is much larger; and both he and the dam,
on cutting up, are found to weigh much beyond the estimates which an eye
accustomed only to ordinary breeds, would have assigned to them. The
flesh is finely marbled or interspersed with alternate fat and lean, and
is of superior quality and flavor.
The cows invariably yield milk of great richness, and when appropriately
bred, none surpass them for the quantity of butter and cheese it yields.
Mr. Bloomfield, the manager of the late Lord Leicester's estate at
Holkham, has, by careful attention, somewhat increased the size, without
impairing the beauty of their form, and so successful has he been in
developing their milking properties, that his average product of butter
from each cow, is 4 lbs. per week for the whole year. He has challenged
England to milk an equal number of cows of any breed, against 40 pure
Devons, to be selected out of his own herd, without as yet having found
a competitor. Although this is not a test of their merits, and by no
means decides their superiority, yet it shows the great confidence
reposed in them by their owner. The Devon ox, under six years old, has
come up to a nett dead weight of 1,593 lbs.; and at three years and
seven months, to 1,316 lbs., with 160 lbs. of rough tallow.
_Description._ The Devon is of medium size, and so symmetrical, as to
appear small. The color is invariably a deep mahogany red, with usually
a white udder and strip under the belly; and the tuft at the end of the
tail is red while they are calves, but white in the older animal. The
head is small, broad in the forehead, and somewhat indented. The muzzle
is delicate, and both the nose and the rings around the eye, in the pure
breed, are invariably of a bright, clear orange. The cheeks and face are
thin and fleshless; the horns clear, smooth, and of a yellowish white,
handsomely curved upward. The neck is small and delicate at its junction
with the head, but is well expanded in its attachment to the breast and
shoulders. The last has the true slant for activity and strength, in
which it excels all other breeds of equal weight. The barrel is round
and deep, with a projecting brisket. The back is broad and level; the
flank full; hips wide; the rumps long; the quarters well developed, and
capable of holding a great quantity of the most valuable meat. The tail
is on a level with the back, and gracefully tapers like a drum-stick, to
the tuft on the end. The legs are of peculiar delicacy and fineness, yet
possess great strength. The skin is of medium thickness, of a rich
orange hue, pliable to the touch, and covered with a thick coating of
fine, soft, curly hair. The Devon is intelligent, gentle, and tractable;
is good for milk, and unsurpassed for the yoke and for fattening. No
animal is better suited to our scanty or luxuriant hill pastures than
the Devon, and none make a better return for the attention and food
received. They ensure a rapid improvement when mixed with other cattle,
imparting their color and characteristics in an eminent degree. Several
importations have been made into this country within the last 30 years,
of the choicest animals, and though not yet numerous in the United
States, we possess some of the best specimens that exist.
The Short Horns, or Durhams.
Are decidedly the most showy among the cattle species. They are of all
colors between a full, deep red, and a pure creamy white; but generally
have both intermixed in larger or smaller patches, or intimately blended
in a beautiful roan. Black, brown, or brindled, are colors not
recognised among pure-bred Short Horns. Their form is well-spread,
symmetrical, and imposing, and capable of sustaining a large weight of
valuable carcass. The horn was originally branching and turned upward,
but now frequently has a downward tendency, with the tips pointing
towards each other. They are light, and comparatively short; clear,
highly polished, and waxy. The head is finely formed, with a longer
face but not so fine a muzzle as the Devon. The neck is delicately
formed without dewlap, the brisket projecting; and the great depth and
width of the chest giving short, well-spread fore-legs. The crops are
good; back and loin broad and flat; ribs projecting; deep flank and
twist; tail well set up, strong at the roots and tapering. They have a
thick covering of soft hair, and are mellow to the touch, technically
termed, _handling well_. They mature early and rapidly for the quantity
of food consumed, yielding largely of good beef with little offal. As a
breed, they are excellent milkers; though some families of the Short
Horns surpass others in this quality. They are inferior to the Devons,
in their value as working oxen, and in the richness of their milk.
[Illustration: A Short-Horn Bull.]
The Short Horns are assigned a high antiquity, by the oldest breeders in
the counties of Durham and Yorkshire, England, the place of their
origin, and for a long time, of their almost exclusive breeding. From
the marked and decided improvement which they stamp upon other animals,
they are evidently an ancient breed, though much the juniors of the
Devon and Hereford. Their highly artificial style, form, and character,
are unquestionably the work of deeply studied and long-continued art;
and to the same degree that they have been moulded in unresisting
compliance with the dictation of their intelligent breeders, have they
departed from that light and more agile form of the Devon, which
conclusively and beyond the possibility of contradiction, marks the more
primitive race.
THE IMPORTATION OF SHORT HORNS INTO THIS COUNTRY.
This is claimed to have been previous to 1783. They are the reputed
ancestors of many choice animals existing in Virginia, in the latter
part of the last century, and which were known as the _milk breed_; and
some of these, with others termed the _beef breed_, were taken into
Kentucky by Mr. Patton, as early as 1797, and their descendants, a
valuable race of animals, were much disseminated in the West, and known
as the _Patton stock_.
The first authentic importations we have recorded, are those of Mr.
Heaton, into Westchester, N. Y., in 1791 and '96, from the valuable
herds of Messrs. Culley and Colling, which consisted of several choice
bulls and cows. These were for many years bred pure, and their progeny
was widely scattered. (_American Herd Book._) They were also imparted
into New York, by Mr. Cox, in 1816; by Mr. Bullock, in 1822; by the late
Hon. S. Van Rensselaer in 1823; and immediately after, by Mr. Charles
Henry Hall, of Harlem. Some small importations were made into
Massachusetts between 1817 and '25, by several enterprising
agriculturists, Messrs. Coolidge, Williams, and others; into Connecticut
by Mr. Hall and others; into Pennsylvania by Mr. Powell; and into Ohio
and some other states, by various individuals early in the present
century.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.
Short-Horned Cow.]
Since the first importations, larger accessions from the best English
herds have been frequently made; and with the nice regard for pedigrees
which the introduction of the herd book, and careful purity in breeding
has produced, the Short Horns have become the most extensive pure-bred
family of cattle in the United States.
During the speculative times of 1835 to 1840, they brought high prices,
frequently from $500 to $1000, and sometimes more. The following years
of financial embarrassment, reduced their market price below their
intrinsic value; but the tide is again turning, and they are now in
demand, but still at prices far below their utility and merits. They
have from the first, been favorites in the rich, corn valleys of the
West, their early maturity and great weight giving them a preference
over any other breed. The only drawback to this partiality, is their
inability, from their form and weight, to reach remote eastern markets
in good condition; an objection now in a great measure remedied, by the
recent remission of duties on foreign beef in the English market, which
makes them of nearly equal value where fed, to pack for exportation. On
light lands and scanty pastures, they will probably never be largely
introduced. All heavy animals require full forage within a limited
compass, so as to fill their stomachs at once, and quietly compose
themselves to their digestion.
The weights reached by the Short Horns in England, as given by Mr.
Berry, have been enormous. Two oxen, six years old, weighed nett, 1820
lbs. each. A heifer of three years, and fed on grass and hay alone,
weighed 1260 lbs. A four-year-old steer, fed on hay and turnips only,
dressed 1890 lbs. A cow reached the prodigious weight of 1778 lbs. A
heifer, running with her dam, and on pasture alone, weighed at seven
months, 476 lbs. An ox, seven years old, weighed 2362 lbs. From their
comparatively small numbers in this country, most of them have been
retained for breeders; few, as yet, have been fattened, and such only as
were decidedly inferior. Such animals as have been extensively produced
by crossing this breed upon our former stocks, have given evidence of
great and decided improvement; and the Short Horns, and their grade
descendants are destined, at no distant day, to occupy a large portion
of the richest feeding grounds in the United States.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.
Hereford Cow]
Herefords.
This is the only remaining pure breed, which has hitherto occupied the
attention of graziers in this country. Like the Devons, they are
supposed to be one of the most ancient races of British cattle. Marshall
gives the following description. "The countenance pleasant, cheerful,
open; the forehead broad; eye full and lively; horns bright, taper, and
spreading; head small; chap lean; neck long and tapering; chest deep;
bosom broad, and projecting forward; shoulder-bone thin, flat, no way
protuberant in bone (?) but full and mellow in flesh; chest full; loin
broad; hips standing wide, and level with the chine; quarters long, and
wide at the neck; rump even with the level of the back, and not
drooping, nor standing high and sharp above the quarters; tail slender
and neatly haired; barrel round and roomy; the carcass throughout deep
and well spread; ribs broad, standing flat and close on the outer
surface, forming a smooth, even barrel, the hindmost large and full of
length; round-bone small, snug, and not prominent; thigh clean, and
regularly tapering; legs upright and short; bone below the knee and hock
small; feet of middle size; flank large: flesh everywhere mellow,
soft, and yielding pleasantly to the touch, especially on the chine, the
shoulder, and the ribs; hide mellow, supple, of a middle thickness, and
loose on the neck and huckle; coat neatly haired, bright and silky;
color, a middle red, with a bald face characteristic of the true
Herefordshire breed."
[Illustration: Fig. 4.
Hereford Bull.]
Youatt further describes them as follows: "They are usually of a darker
red; some of them are brown, and even yellow, and a few are brindled;
but they are principally distinguished by their white faces, throats,
and bellies. In a few the white extends to the shoulders. The old
Herefords were brown or red-brown, with not a spot of white about them.
It is only within the last fifty or sixty years that it has been the
fashion to breed for white faces. Whatever may be thought of the change
of color, the present breed is certainly far superior to the old one.
The hide is considerably thicker than that of the Devon, and the beasts
are more hardy. Compared with the Devons, they are shorter in the leg,
and also in the carcass; higher, and broader, and heavier in the chine;
rounder and wider across the hips, and better covered with fat; the
thigh fuller and more muscular, and the shoulders larger and coarser.
They are not now much used for husbandry, although their form adapts
them for the heavier work; and they have all the honesty and docility of
the Devon ox, and greater strength, if not his activity. The
Herefordshire ox fattens speedily at a very early age, and it is
therefore more advantageous to the farmer, and perhaps to the country,
that he should go to market at three years old, than be kept longer as a
beast of draught.
They are not as good milkers as the Devons. This is so generally
acknowledged, that while there are many dairies of Devon cows in various
parts of the country, a dairy of Herefords is rarely to be found. To
compensate for this, they are even more kindly feeders than the Devons.
Their beef may be objected to by some as being occasionally a little too
large in the bone, and the fore-quarters being coarse and heavy; but the
meat of the best pieces is often very fine-grained and beautifully
marbled. There are few cattle more prized in the market than the genuine
Herefords."
There have been several importations of the Herefords into the United
States, which by crossing with our native cattle, have done great good;
but with the exception of a few fine animals at the South, we are not
aware of their being kept in a state of purity, till the importation of
the splendid herd. within the last six years, by Messrs. Corning and
Sotham of Albany, N. Y. These Herefords are among the very best which
England can produce, and come up fully to the description of the
choicest of the breed. Mr. Sotham, after an experience of several years,
is satisfied with the cows for the dairy; and he has given very
favorable published statements of the results of their milking
qualities, from which it may be properly inferred, that Youatt drew his
estimates from some herds which were quite indifferent in this property.
They are peculiarly the grazier's animal, as they improve rapidly and
mature early on medium feed. They are excelled for the yoke, if at all,
only by the Devons, which, in some features, they strongly resemble.
Both are probably divergent branches of the same original stock.
The Ayrshire
Is a breed that has been much sought after of late years, from their
reputation for fine dairy qualities. The milk is good both in quantity
and quality, yielding, according to a recent statement of Mr. Tennant,
of Scotland, who owns a large herd, fifteen quarts per day during the
best of the season, twelve of which made a pound of butter. The product
of the latter averages about 170 pounds per annum to each cow. Another
authority says, on the best low-land pasture, a good cow yields nearly
4000 quarts per year. This is a large quantity, and implies good cows
and extra feed.
Mr. Cushing, of Massachusetts, who imported several select animals,
without regard to their cost, informed us, after three or four years'
trial, that he did not perceive any superiority in them, over the good
native cows of that state, for dairy purposes. A large number have been
imported in detached parcels, and scattered through the country. They
are good animals, but seem to combine no valuable properties in a higher
degree than are to be found in our own good cattle, and especially such
as are produced from a cross of the Short Horn bull of a good milking
family, on our native cows. They are evidently a recent breed, and do
not therefore possess that uniformity of appearance and quality, which
attaches to one of long cultivation.
Mr. Aiton, of Scotland, gives the following account of them. "The dairy
breed of Scotland have been formed chiefly by skilful management, within
the last 50 years; and they are still improving and extending to other
countries. Till after 1770, the cows in Cunningham were small, ill-fed,
ill-shaped, and gave but little milk. Some cows of a larger breed and of
a brown and white color, were about that time brought to Ayrshire from
Teeswater, and from Holland, by some of the patriotic noblemen of
Ayrshire; and these being put on good pasture, yielded more milk than
the native breed, and their calves were much sought after by the
farmers."
We may fairly infer from the foregoing, which is deemed indisputable
authority; from the locality of their origin, in the neighborhood of the
Short Horns; and from their general resemblance, both externally and in
their general characteristics to the grade animals, that they owe their
principal excellence to this long-established breed.
MANAGEMENT OF CALVES.
The safest and least troublesome manner of raising calves, is at the
udder of the dam; and whenever the milk is converted into butter and
cheese, we believe this to be the most economical. The milk of one good
cow is sufficient, with a run of fresh, sweet pasture, to the feeding of
two calves at the same time; and if we allow the calves to arrive at
three or four months of age before weaning, we may safely estimate, that
one good cow will yield a quantity of milk in one season, fully
equivalent to bringing up four calves to a weaning age.
By keeping the calf on the fresh milk, whether he take it directly from
the udder, or warm from the pail, all risk of disordered bowels is
avoided. The milk is precisely adapted to the perfect health and thrift
of the young, and whenever we substitute for it any other food, we must
watch carefully that not the slightest mismanagement produces disorder,
lest more is lost by disease or want of improvement, than is gained by
the milk of which they are robbed.
The first milk of the cow after calving, is slightly purgative, which is
essential to cleanse the stomach of the calf. It is, moreover, perfectly
worthless for two or three days, for any other purpose except for swine.
The calf will seldom take all the milk at first, and whatever is left in
the bag should be thoroughly removed by the hand. If the calf is
destined for the butcher, he must have all the milk he wants for at
least six weeks, and eight or ten is better; and if the cow does not
furnish enough, he ought to be fed gruel or linseed tea. He must be
closely confined in a snug, but clean and airy stable, and the darker
this is, and the more quiet he is kept, the more readily he will fatten.
If designed to be reared, the safest and least troublesome method, is to
keep the calf on new milk. If saving the milk be an object, it is still
doubtful whether it is not better that he should have a part of it fresh
from the cow, and depend for his remaining food on a good grass or
clover pasture, meal, or roots.
Some farmers never allow the calf to approach the dam, but take it when
first dropped, and put a handful of salt in its mouth, which is daily
repeated till he is put to grass. This has a purgative effect, similar
to the first milk. Flaxseed is then prepared, by boiling a pint in four
to six quarts of water, and diluted with hay tea till it is rather
thicker than milk, and fed at blood heat.
_Hay tea_ is made, by boiling a pound of sweet, well-cured clover, in
one and a half gallons of clean water.
As the calf becomes older, oat, barley, rye, or Indian meal may be
scalded and added to the flaxseed.
When the skim-milk is of little consequence, a better way is to withdraw
him from the cow after three or four days, then scald the milk, adding a
little oat meal, and cool to the natural temperature of the milk, and
feed it. Oats, either crushed or ground, is the best and safest grain
for all young stock. The milk should not stand more than half a day
before feeding to young calves. As they advance in age, it may be fed
rather older, but should never be allowed to become sour; nor should it
ever be fed cold. Connected with this feed, should be a good range of
short, sweet pasture, and shelter against both sun and storms. If
expedient, at about 10 weeks old, he may be safely weaned, but four
months' nursing is better for the calf.
If allowed too much milk for several months, it is injurious to the
future development of the young. It does not distend the stomach
properly, nor call into use its ruminating habits. Calves thus brought
up, have often proved light-bellied, indifferent feeders, and decidedly
inferior animals. When the calf is removed from the cow, they should be
effectually separated from sight and hearing, as recognition creates
uneasiness, and is an impediment to thrift in both.
If there be any deficiency of suitable pasture for the calf, a small
rack and trough should be placed under the shed in his range, and fine
hay put in the former, and wheat bran or oat meal with a little salt in
the latter.
Diseases and Remedies.
For _disordered bowels_, mix 2 dr. rhubarb, 2 oz. castor oil, and 1/2 dr.
ginger, with a little warm milk or gruel; or give 2 oz. castor oil
alone; or 3 oz. of Epsom salts.
For _scours_ and _diarrh[oe]a_, a homely remedy is, to administer half a
pint of cider, with an equal quantity of blood drawn from the calf's
neck.
Or, add a little rennet to its food.
A good remedy is, 1 oz. powdered canella bark; 1 oz. laudanum; 4 oz.
prepared chalk; and one pint water. Mix together, and give a wine-glass
full or more, according to the size of the calf, three times a day.
_Costiveness_ is removed by giving pork broth.
Or, give 3 to 4 oz. Epsom salts, dissolved in 3 pints of water, injected
into the stomach; and repeat part of this dose every 3 or 4 hours, till
the desired effect is produced.
Calves, like all young stock, should be allowed to change their feed
gradually, from new milk to skimmed, or from the latter to other food.
Their stomachs are delicate, and need gentle, moderate changes, when
necessary to make them at all. Much depends on the care and attention
they receive. It is well to have a little resin within its reach.
A comfortable shelter, with a dry, warm bed, suitable food, regularly
given three times a day, at blood heat, and keeping the stomach in
proper order, will do much to bring them forward rapidly, and with a
small expenditure of food.
The calf requires to be supplied through the winter with an abundance of
fine, sweet hay and roots, the latter either chopped or mashed by a
roller, with the addition of a trifle of meal or oats, and a full supply
of salt and pure water.
When there are larger animals on the premises, the calves ought to be
kept by themselves. They should be sustained on their winter feed
through the following spring, until the grass furnishes a good bite on a
well-compacted sod. The change from hay to grass must be gradual, unless
the latter is considerably matured. The extreme relaxation of the bowels
from the sudden change, frequently produces excessive purging. A slight
and temporary relax from the early spring grass, is not objectionable.
Breeding.
The young animals should never be put to breeding under 15 months old,
so as to bring their first calf at two years old nor then, unless they
have large size and good feed. Much depends on the progress towards
maturity, and the supply of food in selecting the proper time for
breeding. Some are as ready for this at a year and a half as others are
at three. Early breeding gives delicacy and symmetry to the form of the
heifer, but it checks its growth; and when it is found to put her back
too much, she may be allowed to rest for a few months, or even a year,
to brings her up to the desired standard. These remarks apply
principally to choice breeders, or as they are sometimes termed, _fancy
stock_. For ordinary milch cows which have been moderately fed, three
years is a proper age to come in, after which they must be milked as
regularly, and as late before drying as possible.
Breaking Steers
Should be commenced when two or three years old. Some begin with the
calf, accustoming him to a light yoke and occasional training. This
practice will do as a pastime for trustworthy boys, as it makes them
gentle and manageable afterwards, but is hardly worth a man's time. If
always carefully handled when young, they will be found tractable.
They should at first be placed behind a pair of well-broke cattle, nor
should they be put to hard labor until quite grown, strong, and
perfectly accustomed to the yoke. If properly managed, cattle may be
trained with all the docility, intelligence, and much of the activity of
the horse. That they are not, is more frequently the fault of their
masters.
Management of Oxen.
To procure perfect working cattle, it is necessary to begin with the
proper breed. Many parts of the country furnish such as are well suited
to this purpose. A strong dash of Devon or Hereford blood is desirable,
when it needs to be improved. A well-formed, compact, muscular body;
clean, sinewy limbs; strong, dense bones; large, well-formed joints,
with a mild expressive eye, are essential for good working oxen.
After breaking, they must be led along gently, and taught before they
are required to perform their task; and never put to a load which they
cannot readily move, nor dulled by prolonging exertion beyond that
period when it becomes irksome. A generous diet is necessary, to keep up
the spirit and ability of cattle, when there is hard work to be done.
The horse and mule are fed with their daily rations of grain when at
hard service, and if the spirit of the ox is to be maintained, he
should be equally well fed, when as fully employed. Great and permanent
injury is the result of niggardly feeding and severe toil, exacted from
the uncomplaining animal. His strength declines, his spirit flags, and
if this treatment be continued, he rapidly becomes the stupid, moping
brute, which is shown off in degrading contrast with the more spirited
horse, that performs, it may be, one half the labor, on twice his
rations.
The ox should be as little abused by threats and whipping, as by stinted
feed and overtasked labor. Loud and repeated hallooing, or the severe
use of the lash, is as impolitic as it is cruel and disgraceful. We
never witness this barbarity without wishing the brutes could change
places, long enough at least to teach the biped that humanity by his own
sufferings which his reason and sensibility have failed to inspire.
Clear and intelligible, yet low and gentle words are all that are
necessary to guide the well-trained, spirited ox. The stick, or whip, is
needed rather to indicate the precise movement desired, than as a
stimulant or means of punishment. The ox understands a moderate tone
more perfectly than a boisterous one, for all sounds become indistinct
as they increase.
It is of great advantage to have oxen well trained to _backing_. They
may soon be taught, by beginning with an empty cart on a descent; then
on a level; then with an increasing load, or uphill, till the cattle
will back nearly the same load they will draw.
Some oxen have a bad trick of _hauling_ or _crowding_. Changing to
opposite sides, longer or shorter yokes, and more than all, gentle
treatment, are the only remedies, and those not unfrequently fail.
Cattle will seldom contract this habit, in the hands of a judicious,
careful driver. _The yokes_ should be carefully made, and set easy, and
the bows fitted to the necks and properly attached to the yoke. Cattle
are liable to sore necks if used in a storm; and when subject to this
exposure, they must be well rubbed with grease, where the yoke chafes
them, and respite from work should be allowed till the necks heal.
Management of Bulls or Vicious Animals.
If inclined to be vicious, the bulls should have rings thrust through
the cartilage of their nose when young. They are to be found at the
agricultural warehouses; and are made of round iron, three-eighths of an
inch diameter, with a joint in one side to open, and when thrust through
the nose, are fastened in a moment, by a rivet previously prepared.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.
Cattle-Handler.]
Fig. 5 is a _cattle-handler_, consisting of a bar of iron A, eight
inches long, with a ring for a man's hand, which turns on a swivel at B,
and at the other end is a pair of calliper-shaped legs, one stationary,
and the other opening on a joint. The fixed leg is inserted against one
side of the nostril, and the other is pressed upon the opposite side,
and there fastened by a slide, C, when the animal is firmly held for
administering medicine or performing any operation.
[Illustration: Fig. 6. Fig. 7.
For taming savage Animals.]
Figs. 6 and 7, for _taming a bull_; b, in Fig. 6, is a cap screwed on to
the tip of the horn; a c, an iron rod hanging on a pivot in the cap,
with a chain reaching to the ring in the nose. The effect of his
attempting to hook, is illustrated by the various positions of the chain
in Fig. 7. If the rod at a, is pushed in either direction, it jerks up
the nose in a manner that cures him of his inclination.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.
Cattle-Tie.]
Fig. 8, shows a _cattle-tie_.--This is a much more convenient and
comfortable mode of fastening cattle in the stable, than the common
stanchions.
The proper time for turning off Cattle.
This must depend on their previous feeding and management, the breed,
and the purposes required. The improved breeds and many of their
crosses, will mature for the butcher as fully at three or four, as
inferior cattle at five to seven years old. If pushed rapidly with
proper food, they will of course be _ripe_ much sooner than if stinted.
When cattle have to be purchased for work, or cows for the dairy, it
becomes an object to keep them as long as they can be made profitable,
and yet be turned off for fattening at a fair price. We have seen active
and spirited oxen in the yoke at 16 or 17; but they seldom do as well
after 12 or even 10 years. Old cattle are liable to more diseases than
young; are less hardy; and they recover more slowly when exposed to
scanty feed or hard usage. They also fatten with more difficulty, and
their meat is inferior. When they can be sold advantageously to the
feeder, and replaced without inconvenience, it is found to be most
profitable to turn them off at seven or eight years. They will by that
time have attained full maturity; they will feed rapidly, and make the
largest amount of good beef. If there are extraordinary milkers among
the cows, or superior workers among the oxen, it is better to keep them
as long as they maintain their full vigor.
Fattening Cattle.
Such as are designed for the shambles the ensuing fall or winter, may be
allowed to do their spring's labor; or if cows, they may be milked into
summer after calving, or go farrow during the previous year. They should
early be put on the best summer feed, and it is better to be
occasionally changed, to give variety and freshness, and keep the animal
in good appetite. Let the fattening animals have the best, and after
they have cropped it a while, give them a fresh field; and the other
animals or sheep can follow and clear off the remaining herbage,
preparatory to shutting it up for a new growth. Some prefer an extensive
range of rich feed, which is unchanged throughout the season; and when
it is not necessary to divide the pasture with the other animals, this
is a good practice.
[Illustration: Fig. 9.]
[Illustration: Fig. 10.]
[Illustration: Fig. 11.]
Three cuts of improved forms, Nos. 9, 10, and 11. The above cuts
illustrate the forms which the most improved beef-cattle should possess.
The selection of Animals for Stall Fattening.
This is a nice point, and none without a practised eye and touch, can
choose such as will make the best return for the food consumed. The
characteristics of choice animals, heretofore enumerated, are
particularly essential in those intended for profitable fattening. But
the most important of all, is that firm mellowness, and quick elasticity
of touch, which unerringly mark the kindly feeder and profitable
bullock. When other means for ascertaining fail, it is a safe rule to
select the best-conditioned animals, out of a herd of grass-fed; for if
all were of equal flesh and health, when turned out, those which have
thriven most on their summer pasture, will generally fatten quickest on
their fall and winter keep. Only the best should be selected. The
remainder, after consuming the coarser forage, may be at once disposed
of for early use. From repeated trials, it is found that the carcass of
stall-fed animals will barely return the value of the materials
consumed, and their manure is generally the only compensation for the
time and attention bestowed. None but choice, thrifty beasts will pay
for their food and attention, and all others will make their best
returns, by an immediate disposal, after the surplus fodder is gone.
[Illustration: Fig. 12.
Points of Cattle Illustrated.
EXPLANATION.--A, forehead; B, face; C, cheek; D, muzzle; E, neck; F,
neck vein; G, shoulder point; H, arm; I, shank; J, gambril, or hock; K,
elbow; L, brisket, bosom, or breast; M, shoulder; N, crops; O, loin; P,
hip, hucks, hocks, or huckles; Q, crupper bone, or sacrum; R, rump, or
pin-bone; S, round bone, thurl, or whirl; T, buttock; U, thigh, or
gaskit; V, flank; W, plates; X, back, or chine; Y, throat; Z, chest.]
Stall-Feeding.
This ought to be commenced early in the season. An ox may be fed in a
box-stall, or if accustomed to a mate, they do better by tying together
with sufficient room, yet not so near as to allow of injuring each
other. The building should be warm, but not hot; well ventilated, yet
having no current of cold air passing through; and as dark as possible.
The stall ought to be kept clean and dry, and a deep bed of clean straw
is of decided advantage.
The ox should be first fed the inferior and most perishable roots with
his grain and dry forage, and his food should be gradually increased in
richness, as he advances towards maturity. The food and water should be
given three times a day, from thoroughly cleaned mangers or troughs. The
animal likes a change of food, in which he should be indulged as often
as may be necessary. If he refuses his food, a temporary privation, or
variety is essential. When the food is changed, he should be moderately
fed at first, till he becomes accustomed to it, as there is otherwise
danger of cloying, which is always injurious. The moment the animal has
done feeding, the remainder of the food ought to be at once removed. He
then lies down, and if undisturbed, rests quietly till the proper hour
induces him again to look for his accustomed rations. Regularity in the
time of feeding, is of the utmost consequence. An animal soon becomes
habituated to a certain hour, and if it be delayed beyond this, he is
restless and impatient, which are serious obstacles to speedy fattening.
[Illustration: Fig. 13.
Ox cut up.
Fig. 13--Shows the London method of cutting up the carcass--Fig. 1, is
the loin; 2, rump; 3, aitch or adz-bone; 4, buttock; 5, hock; 6, thick
flank; 7, thin flank; 8, fore-rib; 9, middle rib; 10, cuck-rib; 11,
brisket; 12, leg of mutton piece; 13, clod or neck; 14, brisket.]
[Illustration: Fig. 14.
Skeleton of an Ox.
1. Temporal bone.--2. Frontal bone, or bone of the forehead.--3. Orbit
of the eye.--4. Lachrymal bone.--5. Malar, or cheek bone.--6. Upper jaw
bone.--7. Nasal bone, or bone of the nose.--8. Nippers, found on the
lower jaw alone.--9. Eight true ribs.--10. Humerus, or lower bone of the
shoulder.--11. Sternum.--12. Ulna, its upper part forming the
elbow.--13. Ulna.--14. Radius, or principal bone of the arm.--15. Small
bones of the knee.--16. Large metacarpal, or shank bone.--17.
Bifurcation at the pasterns, and the two larger pasterns to each
foot.--18. Sesamoid bones.--19. Bifurcation of the pasterns.--20. Lower
jaw and the grinders.--21. Vertebrae, or bones of the neck.--22.
Navicular bones.--23. Two coffin bones to each foot.--24. Two smaller
pasterns to each foot.--25. Smaller or splint-bone.--26. False ribs,
with their cartilages.--27. Patella, or bone of the knee.--28. Small
bones of the hock.--29. Metatarsals, or larger bones of the hind
leg.--30. Pasterns and feet.--31. Small bones of the hock.--32. Point of
the hock.--33. Tibia, or proper leg-bone.--34. Thigh-bone.--35. Bones of
the tail.--36, 37. Haunch and pelvis.--38. Sacrum.--39. Bones of the
loins.--40. Bones of the back--41. Ligament of the neck and its
attachments.--42. Scapula, or shoulder-blade.--43. Bones of the
back.--44. Ligament of the neck.--45. Dentata.--46. Atlas.--47.
Occipital bone, deeply depressed below the crest or ridge of the
head--48. Parietal bone, low in the temporal fossa.--49. Horns, being
processes or continuations of the frontal bone.]
DISEASES IN CATTLE.
Hoven, or Swelling of the Paunch,
Is a temporary ailment, caused by eating too freely of fresh and
generally wet clover, or other succulent food. The animal gorges the
first stomach with so much food, that its contents cannot be expelled.
Inflammation of the membrane takes place, and decomposition of the food
soon follows. This is known by the distension of the paunch, and
difficulty of breathing, and unless speedily relieved, suffocation and
death will ensue. Both sheep and cattle are subject to it.
_Remedies._[1]--In its early stages, when not too severe, it has been
removed by administering some one of the following remedies.
A pint of gin poured down the throat.
From one to two pints of lamp or other oil.
Strong brine.
New milk with one-fifth its bulk of tar mixed.
An egg-shell full of tar forced down the throat, followed by a second,
if the first fails.
A tablespoonful of volatile spirit of ammonia, diluted with water.
A wine-glass full of powder, mixed with cold lard and forced in balls
into the stomach.
A teaspoonful of unslaked lime dissolved in a pint of warm water, shaken
and given immediately.
A pint of tolerably strong lye.
[1] Besides his own experience, the writer has drawn from the N. E.
Farmer, the Albany Cultivator, the American Agriculturist, and other
reliable American and English works, some of the remedies for diseases
herein mentioned.
The Proper Mode of giving the above Remedies
Is for a person to hold the horn and cartilage of the nose, while
another seizes and draws out the tongue as far as possible, when the
medicine is thrust below the root of the tongue. If liquid, it must be
inserted by the use of a bottle.
_The probang_ is used when the former remedies are ineffectual. This
consists of a tarred rope, or a flexible whip-stalk, three-fourths of an
inch in diameter, with a swab or bulbous end. Two persons hold the head
of the animal, so as to keep the mouth in a line with the throat, while
a third forces it into the stomach, when the gas finds a passage out. A
stiff leather tube with a lead nozzle pierced with holes, is best for
insertion, through which the gas will readily escape.
Some one of the above purgatives should be given after the bloat has
subsided, and careful feeding for some days must be observed.
Light gruels are best for allaying inflammation, and restoring the tone
of the stomach.
When no other means are available, the paunch may be tapped with a sharp
penknife, plunging it 11/2 inches forward of the hip bone, towards the
last rib in the left side. If the hole fills up, put in a large
goose-quill tube, which to prevent slipping into the wound, may remain
attached to the feather, and the air can escape through a large hole in
the upper end.
_Prevention_ is vastly better than cure, and may be always secured, by
not allowing hungry cattle to fill themselves with clover, roots,
apples, &c. When first put upon such feed, it should be when the dew and
rain are off, and their stomachs are already partially filled; and they
should then be withdrawn before they have gorged themselves.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.]
[Illustration: Fig. 16.
The Stomach Pump.]
This is a convenient instrument for extracting poisonous substances from
the stomach. It is also highly useful for administering medicines and
injections, and if fitted with several tubes, one may suffice for
animals of any size. It consists of a syringe, _a_, with a side opening
at _b_, and another at the bottom _d_, as shown in Fig. 16. For
injections, Fig. 15 is used, and the end of the syringe is placed in a
vessel containing the fluid, when a probang or injection-tube is screwed
on to the side opening at _b_, through which the fluid is forced into
the stomach or rectum, as may be required. The probang should be a tube
of thick but elastic leather, and it may be passed into the mouth,
through an aperture in a block, placed on edge between the teeth, which
is easily done while a person holds the head of the animal firmly.
Choking
Is frequently relieved by some of the following expedients.
The use of the probang or whip-stock, mentioned under the head of
_remedies for Hoven_, by which the root is forced into the stomach.
A soft root may be crushed so as to allow of swallowing, by holding a
smooth block against it, and striking with a mallet on the opposite
side.
If within arms-length, the root may be removed by hand.
It is said this can be done, by tying up the fore-leg with a small cord,
close to the body, and giving the animal a sudden start with a whip; or
by jerking the fore-leg out forward.
Or pour down the throat a pint bottle full of soft soap, mixed with
sufficient hot water to make it run freely.
_Prevention_ consists in cutting the roots; not feeding them when the
animals are very hungry, and not disturbing them while eating.
Inflammation of the Stomach.
This is frequently produced by a sudden change from dry to green food,
and some other causes.
Epsom salts, castor oil, sulphur, and carbonate of soda, in sufficient
quantity to purge freely, are good remedies.
It may be prevented by changing the food gradually.
Mange, or Scab.
This is denoted by the animal rubbing the hair off about the eyes and
other parts. The skin is scaly or scabby, sometimes appearing like a
large seed-wart.
_Remedies._--Rub the spots with sulphur and lard, after scraping and
washing with soap.
When the skin is cracked, take sulphur, 1 lb.; turpentine, 1/4 lb.;
unguentum, (or mercurial ointment,) 2 ounces; linseed oil, 1 pint. Melt
the turpentine and warm the oil, and when partly cooled, stir in the
sulphur; when cold, add the unguentum, mixing all well. Rub this
thoroughly with the hand on the parts affected.
We have no doubt this, like scab in sheep and itch in the human species,
will be found, on close investigation, to be caused by minute insects
located in the skin. Salt and water ought, in that case, to be a good
remedy.
Hollow Horn, or Horn Ail.
This is not unfrequently _hollow stomach_, and very often follows
stinted fare, hard usage, and exposure to cold. We have noticed this as
most prevalent among oxen that have done a severe winter's work.
_Symptoms._--Bloody urine; swollen udder; shaking the head; eyes and
head swollen; standing with the head against a fence or barn; eyes dull
and sunken, and horns cold.
_Remedies._--Bleed and physic, shelter and feed properly.
Take a half pint of good vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of salt, one
teaspoonful of pepper, and mix and pour into each ear, holding the head
on one side for two minutes.
Bore with a large gimlet on the under side of the horn, three or four
inches from the head; and if hollow, bore nearer the head and let out
all the matter, and syringe two or three times a day with salt and
water, or soap-suds, or salt and vinegar.
Spirits of turpentine rubbed in around the base of the horns, will
arrest the disease in its incipient stages.
Pour a spoonful of boiling hot brimstone into the cavity between the
horns.
Pour a teakettle of boiling water on the horns, holding so as to prevent
injury to the other parts.
Soot and pepper given internally are good.
Jaundice, or Yellows.
This is owing to gall-stones or calculi, which occasionally accumulate
in large numbers, and is sometimes owing to increased or altered quality
of the bile. It is manifested by the yellowness of the eye and skin, and
high color of the urine, and poor appetite.
_Remedies._--Bleed, and purge with Epsom salts.
If taken in season, 2 ounces of ground mustard may be mixed with a
liquid, and given twice a day.
Green food is a good preventive.
Mad Itch.
This disease exists in some of the Western states, and shows itself by
jerking of the head, and itching around the nose and base of the horns.
They will lick their sides and backs, and jerk and hiccup till they fill
themselves with wind; afterwards they froth at the mouth, and in 24
hours die raving mad.
_Remedy._--Give as much soot and salt as the animal will eat; soon
after, give 3/4 or 1 lb. of brimstone or sulphur; and 8 hours after, as
many salts.
Bloody Murrain, or Red Water.
This disease first shows itself in a cough, then heaving of the flanks,
with bloody, black, and f[oe]tid evacuations, tenderness over the loins,
and coldness of the horns. Tumors and biles sometimes appear. The animal
holds down the head, moans, is restless, and staggers when walking.
_Causes._--We have lost several animals by this fatal disease, and are
not aware of having cured any when severely attacked. In repeated
instances, we have seen large flukes taken out of the liver, strongly
resembling the common leech, which abounds in many of our swampy lands.
It is certain that on new, low swamps and clay lands, cattle are most
liable to it; and when they have been subject to repeated attacks in
such localities, clearing and draining have checked it.
Youatt attributes it to certain kinds of forage, which are peculiar to
the above situations. We are rather inclined to ascribe it to exposure,
to excessive dampness, and especially to miasma; for although the brute
creation are perhaps less sensitive to these influences than man, yet,
as they are governed by the same unvarying laws of nature, when
subjected to conditions totally unsuited to their economy, they must
suffer equally in kind, though probably not in degree, with the more
refined human frame. But it is evident the disease, its causes, and
remedies, are as yet imperfectly understood.
_Remedies._--However intelligent men may differ as to its causes, all
agree that the animal should first be bled, and then thoroughly purged.
In obstinate cases, this last is a difficult matter. We have given
repeated doses of powerful cathartics without producing any effect; and
whenever the medicine is inoperative, death speedily follows.
Large doses of common salt, or Epsom salts dissolved in water, are good
purgatives, and if the animal neglects drinking after taking them, he
should be drenched with copious draughts of water. These should be
repeated every few hours, if ineffectual.
Injections are sometimes useful, when medicine fails to act. These may
be made of soap and water; or take 2 or 3 gills of oats boiled, 3
drachms saltpetre, 11/2 oz. linseed oil, mix and use them when warm.
The opening of the bowels may be followed with a pint of linseed oil, as
an additional and gentle laxative.
When the animal begins to recover, gentle astringents and tonics may be
given.
_Preventives._--We have more confidence in preventives than in remedies.
Good keep, shelter, dryness, and clean pastures, will generally prevent
attack. The cattle should at all times be supplied with two or three
troughs under cover, on the sides and bottoms of which tar should be
plentifully spread. Let equal portions of salt and slaked lime be in
one; salt and wood ashes in another; and salt and brimstone in a third.
Many farmers have entirely avoided this disease while using one or more
of these, when they annually lost many by it previously.
Hoof Ail
Is indicated by lameness, fever, and a soft swelling just above the
hoof.
_Remedies._--Carefully wash the foot in warm soap-suds, and while still
damp, apply between the claws on the affected part from one to three
grains of corrosive sublimate. If it does not fully adhere, it must be
mixed with hog's lard, but it should be so applied as to be out of the
reach of the animal's tongue, as it is a powerful poison, and the
extreme irritability of the feet will induce him to lick them.
The claw is efficiently cleansed, by drawing a cord briskly through it,
when either of the above applications, or blue vitriol put on two or
three times a day, or spirits of turpentine, will effect a cure.
It is sometimes cured by putting the animals in the stanchions, and
applying a sharp chisel three-fourths of an inch from the toe, and
striking it with a mallet till it is cut off. If it does not bleed
freely, cut off shavings till it does. If the animal is refractory, let
a person hold up the opposite foot. Keep them in the stable two or three
days, and out of the mud for a week.
Loss of Cud
Is loss of appetite, prostration, and general ill-health.
_Remedies._--Give a warm bran mash, with good hay, and warm water with
salt.
An aloe tincture, made with brandy and ginger, is good.
Afterwards give good, dry, nourishing food; and bitter infusions,
chamomile flowers, hoarhound, oak bark, &c., in beer.
Scours, or Diarrh[oe]a.
A common remedy, is to boil the bark of white oak, white pine, and
beech, and give a strong infusion in bran. If they refuse to eat it,
pour it down. The oak is astringent, and the pine and beech soothing and
healing.
Warbles
Are grubs, the egg of which is deposited in the back of cattle by the
gad-fly, (_[OE]strus bovis._) They are discernible by a protuberance or
swelling on the back. They may be pressed out by the thumb and finger;
or burnt out by plunging a hot wire in them; or a few applications of
strong brine will remove them.
Wounds
In cattle are readily healed, when the animal's blood is in good order,
by applying a salve made of 1 oz. green copperas; 2 oz. white vitriol; 2
oz. salt; 2 oz. linseed oil; 8 oz. molasses. Boil over a slow fire 15
minutes in a pint of urine, and when almost cold, add 1 oz. oil of
vitriol, and 4 oz. spirits turpentine. Apply it with a feather to the
wound, and cure soon follows.
Milk, or Puerperal Fever,
Is a common disease with cows in high condition, at the time of calving.
It may, in almost every case, be avoided, by keeping them in moderate
feed and flesh.
_Remedies._--Bleed freely, say 6 to 10 quarts, according to the
circulation of the blood; then give 1 to 11/2 lbs. of Epsom salts,
according to the size of the beast, to be repeated in half lb. doses
every six hours, till she purges freely.
Injections should always be given when purgatives are tardy in their
operation.
Caked Bag
May be removed by simmering the bark of the root of bitter-sweet in
lard, till it becomes very yellow. When cool, apply it to the swollen
udder once in 8 or 10 hours; or wash it several times a day in cold
water.
A pint of horseradish, fed once a day, cut up with potatoes or meal, is
useful for the same purpose.
This is also a tonic, helps the appetite, and is good for oxen subject
to heat.
Garget
Is a more intense degree of inflammation than exists in caked bag and
sore, swollen teats, and shows itself in hard bunches on the udder.
The cow should be bled, and take a large dose of physic; then wash the
udder as in caked bag.
Repeated doses of sulphur is a good remedy.
Garget, or scoke root, given of the size of a large finger, grated and
fed in their food, is a general application with farmers. The garget
plant grows from three to six feet high, with a purple stalk, and
strings of berries hanging down between the branches.
Sore Teats
May be healed by rubbing with goose oil, cream, new milk; or make the
same applications for it as for caked bag. The bag and teats should be
well cleansed with warm soft water, if to be followed by any ointment.
The following application is recommended by Youatt: One ounce of yellow
wax and three of lard; melt together, and when cooling, rub in one
quarter ounce of sugar of lead, and a drachm of alum finely powdered.
Warts
Are of two kinds; the first, on the outer skin, may be removed by
rubbing with camphorated olive oil. The others penetrate into the flesh,
and may be removed by a ligature of fine twine, or silk, or india-rubber
drawn into a string, and tied tightly around the wart, which falls off
in a few days.
_Remedies._--Nitrate of silver, (lunar caustic,) applied to the wart,
will remove it, but it produces a sore.
Apply a strong wash of alum.
Rub with the juice of milk-weed.
Poultice with grated carrot.
Cut off the wart with sharp scissors, when the cow is dry. It will bleed
little, and soon heal.
Sore Necks on Working Oxen.
These occur when worked in wet weather, or with bad yokes. The _remedy_
is, rub with a healing application. The _preventive_ is, good yokes; the
application of grease; or a decoction of white or yellow oak bark
applied to the affected parts. Or, a better preventive is a canvass or
leather cap to protect the neck entirely from the storm.
The Bite of Poisonous Snakes
May be cured by shaking together equal parts of olive oil and hartshorn,
and rubbing the wound and adjacent parts three or four times a day. For
a full-grown animal, one quart of olive oil and an ounce of hartshorn
should be administered internally, in addition to the above.
For Stings of Bees, Hornets, &c.
Apply warm vinegar and salt, rubbing the parts thoroughly.
For a Forming Tumor.
Rub thoroughly with strong brine, or a solution of sal ammoniac
dissolved in eight times its weight of water. If the tumor comes to a
head, open it near the bottom with a lancet; or place a seton in it so
as to admit the escape of purulent matter.
Lice and Vermin
Sometimes abound on cattle during the latter part of winter and spring.
These are generally the result of _mange_, which is itself the effect of
ill-feeding and ill-condition. They are removed with the cause. We doubt
if they can be permanently kept off, where the animal is losing flesh
and health.
_Remedies._--Restore the health and condition, and sprinkle sand, ashes,
or dirt plentifully around the roots of the horns, and along the ridge
of the neck and back.
A liberal application of train or other oil has nearly a similar effect.
Never apply an ointment containing corrosive sublimate or other poison,
as it may be licked by the animal or its fellows, who may thus become
seriously poisoned.
The Trembles,
Producing _milk sickness_ (a most fatal disease) in the human family,
from eating the milk or flesh of animals affected by it. This disease,
which exists principally in the region of the Wabash River, is supposed
by Dr. Drake to be owing to the _poison oak_, (Rhus Toxicodendron,) or
_poison vine_, (Radicans,) which the animals eat.
_Symptoms._--The animal mopes, is feverish and costive, but apparently
preserves its appetite. The next stage of the disease is faintness and
vertigo, which is shown when the animal is put upon exertion, being
followed by excessive _trembling_ and entire prostration.
_Remedy._--Almost every cathartic has been tried in vain. Indian corn,
both dry and green, has been fed to all animals accustomed to eating it,
and when they can be induced to feed upon it freely, purging is
generally secured. Rest of the animal is absolutely essential while the
disease continues, and is itself an effectual remedy in mild cases.
* * * * *
Besides the diseases enumerated, there are occasional epidemics, such as
_black tongue_, _black foot_, or _foot root_, _&c._, which carry off
great numbers of animals. Remedies for these are frequently not
discovered, and the epidemic is allowed to run its course unchecked. The
only preventives are such care, food, and management as the experienced
herdsman knows to be best suited to the maintenance of the health and
thrift of his stock.
_Note._--Some ailments will be found under the head of _diseases_ of the
other animals mentioned in this work, the general resemblance of which
to each other will justify nearly a similar treatment.
If intelligent _farriers_ are at hand, they may sometimes be called in
with advantage; though we acknowledge our distrust of the quackery of
most of those passing under this title. There is little science or
intelligent study in the composition of this class, the world over; and
much of their practice is the merest empiricism. The owner should see to
it, if he employs one of whose attainments he is doubtful, that neither
medicines nor operations be used, unnecessarily severe or hazardous to
the animal. Especially, should the diabolical practice be interdicted,
of the abundant and indiscriminate use of poisons, boiling oils,
turpentine, and tar, and the hot iron applied to the sensitive wound or
naked flesh. If certain or effectual remedies for the removal of disease
cannot he applied, such as augment the suffering or endanger the life of
the poor dumb things, may at least be avoided.